A crisis for democracy and a debate frozen in time

George Soros and others are launching a new campaign to overturn Brexit, with a huge march next Saturday, in London, demanding a second referendum.

The debate is raging in the British media and people are expressing a real sense of impending crisis. Oddly, even highly educated British are debating this topic as if Europe/EU has not changed since June 2016. I attribute this to the British not reading non-English media and having little historic interest in keeping up with Europe, politically.

It is clear to me from many comments on Charles Moore's article today ('Remain zealots forget that democracy is all about meaningful votes') that everyone is discussing an EU frozen in time, as it was three or more years ago or in June 2016. However, the issues have moved on a lot since the Brexit vote. The EU is in crisis about its survival, due to what it calls 'populism' - as we saw very recently in the President of Italy's changing decisions on power.

So I ask British Remainers: If the UK stays in the EU, which side of the current stand off will the British support? Back the EU leaders against Italy's demand to control its own borders, led by a democratically-elected Italian Government? Italians are in genuine revolt against the EU because they have been taught since kindergarten that the EU is the best thing since the Roman Empire (i.e. they will benefit financially from it). Would the UK really support the EU against democratic decisions in Italy?

I ask Leavers: Do you seriously believe that very keen Remainers still believe in democracy? I have spoken with some influential metropolitan Remainers. They openly despise it as much as they do 'overcharging' British workers. They say democracy is 'too short term'. They want a wise oligarchy instead and seem to have finished with British democracy. For them, democracy has come to a full stop: they do not want it or respect it.  Some probably want to scupper democracy in order to kill it.

Anna Soubrey MP,  Dominic Grieve MP, George Soros and Mark Malloch Brown must clearly set out how an oligarchy will handle the disenfranchised without censorship and other tools of totalitarianism. They need to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the majority of British people - requiring a separate referendum campaign - how an oligarchy works to the benefit of all, drawing on convincing real life examples of its imagined 'better outcomes for all'.

The UK needs to vote for any alternative to democracy which is not perfect but at least delivers leadership and a direction, even by a majority of 1.5m votes.

Many will reply: 'But the British voted on that issue two years ago in June 2016. The democratic answer was 'TINA'  which stands for 'There Is No Alternative' (which was Mrs Thatcher's stapline text)'. Italy recently came up with the same answer: 'TINA'.